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New York Times examines California HIV testing bill

The New York Times on Thursday examined a California bill (AB 1894) that requires health care plans operating in the state to pay for routine HIV testing. The bill was signed into law on Tuesday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) (Cathcart, New York Times, 10/2).

5 Oct 2008

Health workers cannot refuse to provide treatment to HIV-positive people, India's Supreme Court rules

A panel of India's Supreme Court on Wednesday approved instructions from the country's Centre Party that health care workers in all government and private hospitals cannot refuse medical treatment to people living with HIV/AIDS, The Hindu reports.

5 Oct 2008

CDC says 1.1 million people living with HIV

CDC on Friday in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report released updated estimates of HIV prevalence in the U.S., saying that 1.1 million people were living with the virus at the end of 2006, Bloomberg reports.

5 Oct 2008

Will patients stick to physical therapy? Questionnaire can help doctors predict

Patients' responses to a simple questionnaire can reliably predict whether they will adhere to physical therapy after spine surgery, Johns Hopkins researchers suggest in a new study. The findings could help physicians identify patients who might benefit from additional preoperative preparation to ensure they attend therapy sessions and follow through with prescribed exercise, a factor that can greatly affect their long-term recovery.

2 Oct 2008

New technology promises tests for diseases such as cancer in 15 minutes

Scientists at Leeds University in the UK say soon, testing for diseases such as cancer and multiple sclerosis, could take as little as 15 minutes and could be as simple as using a pregnancy testing kit.

1 Oct 2008

A DNA-based vaccine shows promise against avian flu

Though it has fallen from the headlines, a global pandemic caused by bird flu still has the United States' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on high alert. Yet, to date, the only vaccines that have proven even semi-effective are produced in chicken eggs, take five to six months to prepare and act against a single variant of the H5N1 virus, which mutates incredibly quickly.

30 Sep 2008

Existing anti-obesity drugs may be effective against flu, hepatitis and HIV

Viruses dramatically increase cellular metabolism, and existing anti-obesity drugs may represent a new way to block these metabolic changes and inhibit viral infection, according to a study published today in the journal Nature Biotechnology.

29 Sep 2008

Leaders of Kenya's Luo ethnic group embrace male circumcision after meeting with medical experts, lawmakers

An advisory board made up of Luo leaders from the Nyanza region of Kenya on Monday gave their support for a voluntary medical male circumcision program, a decision that Kenyan officials say is a significant step in the region's fight against HIV/AIDS, Kenya's Daily Nation reports.

29 Sep 2008

HIV/AIDS services agency sues New Hampshire town for restricting access to group home

A Keene, N.H., AIDS services agency -- AIDS Services for the Monadnock Region -- said it is suing Gilsum, N.H., town officials for overstepping their authority and violating the state constitution by restricting who is allowed to live at a group home run by ASMR, the Keene Sentinel reports.

29 Sep 2008

Prisons in North Carolina to begin testing all inmates for HIV

Prisons in North Carolina will start screening all inmates for HIV beginning in November, the Raleigh News & Observer reports.

29 Sep 2008

Senate approves bill that would require HIV testing in federal prisons

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved by voice vote a House-approved bill (HR 1943) that would require HIV/AIDS testing for inmates upon arrival in federal prisons, CQ Today reports.

29 Sep 2008

Youth campaign to fight HIV/AIDS in Indian city, Times of India reports

A campaign to scale up the fight against HIV/AIDS through youth leadership, called "Wake up Pune," has planned several activities in the Indian city of Pune between Sept. 7 and Dec. 1, the Times of India reports.

29 Sep 2008

HHS should act quickly to end travel restrictions for HIV-positive people, editorial says

HHS should take action "soon to end a de facto form of discrimination" by rewriting its rules prohibiting HIV-positive people from visiting the U.S., a Washington Post editorial says, adding that the continuation of the policy "puts the United States in the company of countries such as Libya, Saudi Arabia and Sudan."

29 Sep 2008

New WHO efforts to save the lives of women and newborns

During the next five years, we will enhance support to the countries with the highest maternal mortality. We will support countries in strengthening their health systems to achieve the two MDG 5 targets of reducing the maternal mortality ratio by 75% and achieving universal access to reproductive health by 2015. Our joint efforts will also contribute to achieving MDG 4: "To reduce child mortality".

25 Sep 2008

HIV infection rates rising among self-injecting drug users

According to new research HIV infection rates amongst people who inject themselves with drugs appear to be on the rise and there are huge discrepancies worldwide.

24 Sep 2008

Tuberculosis poses security threat in Russia, official says

Tuberculosis poses a threat to Russia's security and labor force, Mikhail Grishankov, first deputy chair of the security committee of the State Duma, said recently during a roundtable at the World Bank office in Moscow, ITAR-TASS World Service reports.

24 Sep 2008

Raleigh News & Observer profiles UNC researcher who investigates social factors behind higher HIV/AIDS rates for blacks

The Raleigh News & Observer on Sunday profiled University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill medical researcher Adaora Adimora, who has investigated why HIV/AIDS seems to affect blacks more than members of other races and ethnicities (Niolet, Raleigh News & Observer, 9/21).

24 Sep 2008

CD4 tests can reduce costs, extend lives of HIV-positive people in Africa

"Cost-Effectiveness of HIV Monitoring Strategies in Resource-Limited Settings," Archives of Internal Medicine: The use of a CD4 test could help reduce costs and extend the lives of HIV-positive people in Southern Africa, according to a study conducted by researchers at Stanford University's School of Medicine and the Palo Alto Veterans Affairs Health Care System.

24 Sep 2008

San Francisco Chronicle examines summer camp that seeks to empower young people living with HIV/AIDS

The San Francisco Chronicle on Sunday profiled Camp Liquid, an eight-day summer camp for HIV-positive people between ages 15 and 20.

24 Sep 2008

Thai health experts call for review of prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission program

Health experts in Thailand are calling for a review of the country's national program to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission, which follows World Health Organization guidelines, the Bangkok Post reports.

24 Sep 2008